Success & Leadership Series with Chris Sutherland, MD of Programmed

As chief executive of Programmed Maintenance since 2008, Chris Sutherland leads one of Western Australia's most labour-intensive companies.

A highly diversified business, Programmed offers telling insights into the state of the economy. With more than 20,000 employees nationally, its services range from painting and cleaning at schools through to complex maintenance work in the oil and gas sector. Programmed provides staffing, maintenance and facility management services in Australia, New Zealand, and the UK.   

The business has been tuned into resources, infrastructure and labour needs in WA for more than a decade, and Chris’s exposure to the sector is deeper still, having spent a decade as CEO of a large ASX-listed company. He led Programmed through numerous successful acquisitions and remains at its helm after the business was bought by Japanese group Persol, a global player and Japan's largest staffing business. Chris is leading the group’s Asia Pacific expansion strategy.

The Success & Leadership Series is an annual series of five breakfast events that showcase successful Western Australian business leaders who have excelled in their fields of endeavour.  The breakfast series is Perth’s pre-eminent professional networking forum and has been growing in popularity, with many events attracting over 400 guests. The events are presented in a sit-down breakfast format and as the events are attended exclusively by members of the Western Australian business community, it is the ultimate opportunity for expanding your professional connections.